1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a method and system for improving the efficiency of initiating data processing system operations within the data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for improving the efficiency of inputting a sequence of user inputs to the data processing system in order to perform a data processing system operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Frequently, data processing system users must perform repetitious tasks. Such tasks may require a data processing system user to input a sequence of data processing system user inputs which may include commands (including commands which are intended for a specific application or commands intended for the data processing system operating system), data, or other input parameters required to specify a data processing system operation to be performed. Depending upon the application and the operation to be performed, such user input sequences may require numerous user interactions. Such user interactions may be received by the data processing system from a keyboard, a choice device (i.e., a function keyboard), a locator (i.e., a mouse or a tablet), a pick device (i.e., a light pen), or a valuator (i.e., a thumb wheel or a potentiometer). One skilled in the art should also recognize that "user input" need not be limited to input from a human user. User input may include input from one data processing system which is coupled to another data processing system and which requests the other data processing system to perform an operation.
A sequence of data processing system user inputs necessary to perform an operation may be lengthy, and may require a user to utilize several user input devices and navigate through several layers of hierarchical menus, panels, or dialog boxes. For example, to print a document a user may be required to specify the document to be printed, where the document is located in storage, on what paper size the document will be printed, which printer to utilize to print the document, how many copies to print, whether or not to print the entire document, and whether or not the copies should be collated. Such a sequence of data processing system user inputs may be directed either to a particular application or to an operating system. User input sequences may include user interactions which are initially directed to the operating system in order to invoke an application, and are thereafter directed to the application to execute application specific operations.
One known method and system of improving data processing system user input efficiency is to provide menus having menu choices that are periodically reordered based upon the number of times each choice has been chosen. However, such a menu reordering scheme does not reduce or eliminate the interactions required in a user input sequence. The menu reordering scheme only makes it easier to select the same menu choices when entering the user input sequence. Another method and system for improving data processing system user input efficiency is to provide automatic entry of default values in fields within secondary windows or dialog boxes which would otherwise require a user entry or specification. Such fields within secondary windows may be presented either by an application or the operating system. Even though automatic entry of default values reduces the number of key strokes necessary to perform an operation, each secondary window or dialog box must still be displayed and still requires user interaction to accept the automatically entered defaults.
In other known data processing systems, artificial intelligence systems or neural networks have been utilized to predict and perform a sequence of data processing system user inputs which would otherwise require user interaction. For example, if a data processing system user frequently responded to electronic mail messages that contain phone numbers by dialing the phone number after reading the message, the neural network could monitor and learn such user behavior, and subsequently begin to offer to dial phone numbers contained within newly-received electronic mail messages. However, implementation of such artificial intelligence systems requires complex computer resources and is quite expensive.
Therefore, it should be apparent that a need exists for a method and system wherein a data processing system user may automatically initiate a selected sequence of data processing system user inputs to perform a routine data processing system operation.